 2010
Domaine Maestracci, Clos Reginu, Vin
de Corse Calvi, Corsica, France ...
14.99/160.00
The granite plateau of Reginu is located
in the foothills of Monte Grossu in
the northwest sector of Corsica. Here
Michel Raoust continues the legacy of
his father-in-law, Roger Maestracci,
by fashioning honest, true-to-the-soil
wines from indigenous Corsican and traditional
southern French varietals. Showing a
limpid ruby color in the glass, Maestracci’s
Clos Reginu fills the room with smoky,
granite soil-inflected aromas of cherries,
loganberries and fennel. Fresh and zesty
on the palate, the wine conveys the
tension of the vineyard’s arid
high-altitude situation with a saline
kiss from its proximity to the nearby
Mediterranean Sea. Delicious and refreshing,
the Clos Reginu has the drinkability
of a bistro carafe wine, but also the
utterly unique terroir signature of
the island’s special granitic
soils. Enjoy this young, served with
anything outside of the seafood and
acidic vegetable spectra. It is a perfect
introduction to the diversity and pleasures
of Corsican wine, and a terrific value.
|
2008
Rapalino, Barbera d’Alba, Pian Romualdo,
Piedmont, Italy ... 14.99/160.00
Since its debut in these pages over a
decade ago, Federico Rapalino’s
exemplary Barbera is among our customers’
favorite wines and one of the most successful
selections in L&E newsletter history.
For its newly released Barbera, Rapalino
has captured beautifully the aromatic
elegance of the Piedmont’s 2008
vintage and the impeccable balance of
the hallowed Pian Romualdo vineyard. Rapalino’s
opaque, black-ruby colored 2008 Barbera
casts an expressive nose of blackberries,
plums, leather, cinnamon and licorice.
In the mouth the wine’s palate-staining
blackberry fruit is complemented by bracing
acidity, fine, buffered tannins and lovely
touches of leather, menthol and tarry
earth. Delicious now with braised beef,
oven-roasted root vegetables, egg-rich
pastas, or grilled pork, Rapalino’s
2008 Barbera will also cellar well for
five to seven years and reveal to the
patient the wine’s latent mushroomy,
sotto bosco notes. |
 2008
Château Clos du Moulin, Médoc,
Bordeaux, France ... 9.50/101.50
2008 is the sneaky good vintage in Bordeaux.
While 2009 wows for its power, 2008 enchants
with its elegance and balance. This classic
60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon blend
from Clos du Moulin shows why the ’08s
are so special. The Clos du Moulin’s
beautiful plum color in the glass leads
to lovely aromas of black currants, black
cherries, cinnamon and gravelly soil. Lush
and ample on the attack, the Clos du Moulin
tightens mid-palate to reveal old-school
Médoc structure and restraint. Hints
of chocolate, mocha and spicy, gripping
tannins creep in on the wine’s long
currant and gravel-inflected finish. This
is classically styled Médoc that
will bring smiles to those who remember
fondly the grace and charm – and prices
– of yesteryear’s red Bordeaux.
Enjoy now and over the coming decade with
game, roast beef, lamb, potatoes au gratin,
and hard cheeses.
|
 2009
Fattoria La Torre, La Villa, Chianti Colli
Senesi, Tuscany, Italy ... 9.50/101.50
The wines of the Colli Senesi pack a heck
of a lot of honest Chianti character for
very modest prices. Submitted for your approval:
this delicious, affordable selection from
Fattoria La Torre. Deep ruby in the glass,
the wine bursts with stony, soil-inflected
aromas of ripe plums, cherries and leather.
Brisk and vibrant in the mouth, notes of
bay leaf, beef consommé and button
mushrooms accent a sappy core of cherry
fruit, while fine tannins and food-friendly
acidity keep the exuberant fruit in lovely
balance. For under $10, this is the red
wine steal of the season and a lovely complement
to everyday fare like grilled burgers and
steaks, pastas in cream or meat sauces,
eggplant parmigiana, skillet fried pork
chops, and pizza. |
|
 2010
Michel Quenioux, Domaine de Veilloux,
Cheverny, Loire Valley, France ... 15.99/171.00
Although Cheverny is best known as the
finest hunting grounds in France, wine
has been grown and made here since the
6th century A.D. By law all Cheverny wines
must be a blend of varietals. Veilloux’s
Cheverny is based on the upper Loire’s
traditional Sauvignon Blanc, complemented
by dashes of Menu Pineau and Chardonnay.
The Sauvignon, however, dominates this
refreshing blend and yields a wine with
a crisp, clean bouquet of grapefruit,
gooseberries, menthol and flint. On the
palate, the Cheverny conveys brisk gooseberry
and lime fruit accented by crunchy, salty
minerals and an herbal bay leaf top note.
Alternating waves of tart green apples,
lemon curd and flinty, stony minerals
highlight the wine’s long, precise
finish. Very versatile with food, Veilloux’s
Cheverny will complement roasted pheasant,
chicken, freshwater fish dishes, fresh
chèvres, and light pork preparations.
Drink young and often.
|
2010
Vins Auvigue, Mâcon Davayé,
Burgundy, France ... 14.99/160.00
2010 is already being heralded as a classic
white Burgundy vintage, one of great soil
transparency, brilliant acidity and elegant
fruit. These wondrous attributes are exemplified
brilliantly by this lovely, juicy Mâcon
from Vins Auvigue. Opening with a brilliant
straw-gold color, the Macon Davayé
conveys a pungent, mineral-assertive nose
of buttery lemon fruit and Burgundy’s
inimitable limestone goût de terroir.
Crisp, clean, and stony on the palate,
Vin Auvigue’s Davayé rises
far above the average Mâcon with
its intensity, richness and lemony limestone
goût. Hints of quince, lemon curd
and high-toned limestone minerality provide
additional complexity on the wine’s
long finish, while a lingering suggestion
of honeyed melon completes this classy,
top-caliber Mâcon. Fans of affordable
white Burgundy will delight in this wine,
which we suggest serving now or over the
next five years with salmon, roast chicken,
light pork preparations and halibut.
|
 2010
Tenuta Olim Bauda, Gavi di Gavi, Piedmont,
Italy ... 15.99/171.00
The Piedmont is home to the gorgeous Gavi,
made from the indigenous Cortese grape.
Olim Bauda’s 2010 Gavi di Gavi, from
the historical and superior zone immediately
around the town of Gavi, begins with a brilliant
lemon-gold color and aromas of lemon juice,
nettles and aromatic hops. In the mouth,
Olim Bauda’s Gavi attacks first with
crisp, juicy citrus fruit, and then broadens
mid-palate to offer notes of yellow plums,
chamomile, savory vegetable broth and young,
sappy pine buds. The wine finishes crisp
and lip-smacking with suggestions of juicy
citrus and a complex touch of almond skin,
which give the wine a splendid tactile grip
and pleasant, food-friendly bitterness.
Drink this aromatically compelling Gavi
young to capture its freshness, crispness
and zip. Enjoy with golden trout, snapper,
soups, vegetarian frittatas, summer squashes,
clams, and halibut. |
 2009
Feudi di San Gregorio, Lacryma Christi del
Vesuvio, Campania, Italy ... 12.99/139.00
Deep in the south of Italy lie the great
Mount Vesuvius and the revitalized wine
region of Campania. On Vesuvius’s
minerally volcanic soils, the ancient Coda
di Volpe (tail of the wolf) varietal reaches
its apogee and forms the foundation of the
historical Lacryma Christi bianco. A traditional
blend of 80% Coda di Volpe and 20% Falanghina,
Feudi’s Lacryma Christi casts a beautiful
limpid lemon-gold hue from the bowl. Bright
aromas of peaches, white flowers, and melon
yield to a zesty palate of bitter oranges,
musky flowers and smoky volcanic minerals.
These smoky minerals blossom and continue
on the wine’s long, clean finish followed
by lingering suggestions of sappy almonds
and waxy pine nuts. This is a natural pair
for shellfish and squid pasta dishes, sushi,
sautéed squashes, antipasti, and
grilled whole fish. |
|
Portland, OR 97210 
